Good Riddance 2015

As the year grinds to a close, I have to say that I’ll be glad to be rid of 2015. This past year has been pretty rough on Chattanooga and I really hope that 2016 holds some good news for our city…

…When one looks back on 2015, there were two big news stories that made it such a crappy year for Chattanooga. The first one ended our sense of security and linked our city with others that have suffered the horror of mass shootings. It also put Chattanooga on a still-short list of communities that have been the victim of domestic terrorism. The second major news event knocked one of Chattanooga’s most treasured business success stories off of its pedestal and left its future in doubt…

…On July 16, 2015, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez brought mass murder and domestic terrorism to our city. Abdulazeez opened fire on two local military installations. He committed a drive-by shooting at the military recruiting center on Lee Highway, then sped to the U.S. Naval Reserve Center on Amnicola Highway. Once there, he resumed shooting and killed four Marines on the spot. A Navy sailor, a Marine recruiter, and a police officer were wounded. The sailor died two days later. Abdulazeez was shot and killed at the reserve center…

…There wasn’t a lot of news about the July 16 shootings in the months following the event. Finally, in December, Federal Bureau of Investigation director James B. Corney said the Chattanooga attacks were “motivated by foreign terrorist organization propaganda.” Neither the FBI nor any of the other investigating agencies have indicated that Abdulazeez was under orders from ISIS, Al Qaeda, or any other terrorist organization. It seems most likely that he was a troubled young man with serious drug problems who latched onto violent Islamic ideology and “self-radicalized.” Regardless, Chattanooga lost its illusions of tranquility on that hot July day…

…On September 18, 2915, the Environmental Protection Agency dropped the hammer on Volkswagen Group. The EPA issued a notice of violation to the German automaker after it was found that VW had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to activate certain emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing. This programming caused the vehicles’ nitrogen oxide (NOx) output to meet U.S. standards during regulatory testing while emitting up to 40 times more NOx in real-life driving situations. Volkswagen used this programming hack in about 11 million cars worldwide (and in at least 500,000 in the U.S.) during model years 2009 through 2015…

…Heads have rolled at VW. The company’s stock price has plummeted, as have worldwide sales. Here in Chattanooga, where our successful recruiting of the once highly-regarded German automaker has been a huge source of pride since that big announcement in July 2008, Today, it’s a bit embarrassing to drive past the Volkswagen Drive exit on Interstate 75. We join the rest of the world in wondering if VW can survive this monumental scandal. There are a number of pending lawsuits against the German automaker. Consumer approval of Volkswagen is at an all-time low. A lot of Chattanoogans are pissed off at VW for cheating, but still hope the company can rally and save itself…

…Two news stories. Totally unrelated. Either, individually, would have dealt a huge blow to Chattanooga. Together, the horrific shootings on July 16 and that EPA announcement on September 18 were like a wicked one-two combination of punches that left our community dazed. So let’s bid a not-so-fond farewell to 2015 and hope 2016 brings us a couple of big, positive news stories…